Method of separating solids from liquids



Sept. 16, 1930'. M. P. REYNOLDS METHOD OF SEPARATING SOLIDS FROI LIQUIDS 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 7. 1927 xmxmw Morley Funshor x R g n fis I Af-rliys.

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Sept. 16, 1930. M. P. REYNOLDS 1,775,330

METHOD 0 SEPARATING SOLIDS FRO" LIQUIDS Filed Jan. 7. 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVENTOR Morley Punshon Reynolds .4TTO

Sept. 16, 1930, M. P. REYNOLDS METHOD OF SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM LIQUIDS Filed Jan. 7, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig.3.

INVENTOR. MoHey Punshon'Reynolds BY' '3; W im.

Se t. 16, 3930. M. P. REYNOLDS 1,775,330

METHOD OF SEPARATING SOLIDS FROI LIQUIDS Filed Jan. 7. 927 5 sholtlvfluct 4 1 NVEN TOR.

Morley Punshon Reynolds Sept 16, 1930. P, REYNOLDS. 1,775,830

METHOD OF SEPARATING SOLIDS FROI LIQUIDS I Filed Jan. '7. 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. Mofley Funshon Reynolds Kym??? ATTO Patented Sept. 16, 1930 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE MORLEY IPU'NSHON REYNOLDS, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE W. S. TYLER COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO METHOD OF SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM LIQUIDS Application filed January 7, 1927.

The present invention, relating as indicated to methods of and apparatus for separating solids from liquids, is particularly directed to an improved method of handling the juices of fresh sugar cane and of removing the fibrous solid material from the juice. In the treatment of sugar cane to extract the sugar juices it has been a matter of extreme diificulty to entirely remove all of the small fibers of the cane from the juice except by tedious and expensive methods, andl have devised the present method and apparatus for rapidly and economically removing substantially all of the solid material from the juice without any expensive chemical or other treatment involving heat. In the ordinary cane crushing mill it is customary to providea perforated plate or relatively very coarse screen in the troughs into which the raw juice drains for efiecting a straining of the juice, but as this is-extremely inefiective in removing any high percentage of the fibrous material carried in suspension in the juice other means, such as fixed screens or rotating or shaking screens, have been interposed in the process at one point or another, but up to the present time Without effecting any important economies in the process. The objection to all the methods attempted up to this time comes so from the sticky colloidal matter which issues from the juice in the cane stalks and which is .carried along with the juice. This matter is adhesive and lends itself to the clogging of the holes in the perforated plates and the meshes in even coarse screens. and, together with the fibrous material, rapidly builds up a coating around the openings, which reduces the mesh and eventually blinds or clogs the screen.

The present method and apparatus have been developed with a view to preventing this clogging of the screen in the manner, and by the steps and means hereinafter described.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing V and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claim; the annexed drawing and the following description setting forth in detail certain means and one 5 mode of carrying out the invention, such dis- Serial No. 159,732.

closed means and mode illustrating, however, but one of various ways in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partially in section showing one form of sugar mill with which I have combined certain apparatus to carry out effectively the method of treatment which I have devised; Fig. 2 is a similar View showing a similar type of mill combined with similar additional apparatus which is shown in Fig. l in a difierent manner to also carry out my improved method; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 in Fig. 2 Fig. 4. is a side elevation partially in section of a sugar mill showing still another form of apparatus for the purpose referred to; and Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 in Fig. 4. 7

Referring now to Fig. 1, there is shown a typical, apparatus for treating sugar consisting of a series of crushing rolls 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 mounted in suitable housings and driven in unison by any suitable power means (not shown). Of these crushing rolls the first three sets, Nos. 1, 2 and 3, are mounted in inclined relation and a feed chute 8 is arranged to discharge sugar cane between the rolls of the first set 1. These rolls partially crush the cane, which is then discharged onto a chute 9 and introduced to the second set 2, from which the cane in a still more crushed condition is passed on to a second chute l0 and carried to the first set of the crushing rolls 3.

Extending beneath the sets of rolls 3, 4;, 5, 6, and 7 is a trough 11 adapted to catch and collect the sugar juice as it drains down from the crushing rolls, the solid material being discharged from the first set of rolls 3 onto an inclined endless belt conveyor 12, which carries the solid material to the next set of rolls 4:. From each set of rolls the sugar juice drains down into the trough l1 and the solid material is carried to the next rolls by means of other belt conveyors 13, 1a and 15.

The action of the crushing rolls is to squeeze and compress the stalks of sugar cane and to press out the juice. Thenature of the cane is such that many small particles of fibrous matter which is separated from V discharge it onto the upper end of an inthe cane'stalks by the crushing are carried out by the juice which drains away and con taminatethis juice, and in the aggregate form a very considerable amount ofsolid material therein. It is highly desirable to remove this solid fibrous material in-the mill and during the crushing operations. The method and apparatus which I have devised fer accomplishing this-are as-follows, I I

V I take-thejuicefmm the trough 11 and clined vibrating screen 1 contained Yin La suitable housing 22. The'screen 23 in this housing is rapidly vibrated by mean -bran electro-magnetic device 2 i, the armature 25 of *whichis se'curedito the screen and is caused "to vibrate ,the latter at an extremely high speed. The electro-m'agnetically operated screen and the'c'ombination of screenxand electric-magnet operating the, same are fully "described in my priorPatent No. 1597526 iand'Fhen'ce need not be described indetail;

The fineness'of'the' screen will depend upon,

various conditions, but Would ordinarily be between4'0 and T mesh. The pure juice whichpasses throughthe screen is discharged through a'co-nduit 26, in which is interposed Vajpump 2 7, and is then carried to -any sjuitable stor e reservoir for 'furthertreatment.

IThe solidfibrous'material' which does not Withthe'juice and is again passed over the =screen'23,' while the remainder of the solid imaterial is discharged into the' rolls 5 and jthusfp'assesthroughthetwo finalsets'otrolls.

Thefine fibers when returned to the system" 7 on the conveyor 13 adhere to thestalks -and :continuethrou'gh the system as wasteand 'arethus disposed of. V

"fThe'troughll'is broken up into any convenient number of compartments, one'arira'ngement of three beingshown, the first compartment terminating just beyond 7 the *set ofrolls .5 at a :partition 35, the second compartment 36jterminating just beyondt'he {rolls 6, and the" third compartment 37 lying idirectly'benea'th the'last set of .-rolls7. The pas'sage of the-juice which drains intofthe "second'chamber "36 has already been described; .The j uice and such fibrous material asgis containedfinit which drains into the final 'chamber 37 is carried into a conduitr38,

"toa pump'39'and conduit 40,'andis then re turned onto the conveyor 14: and again passed through the last two sets of rolls 6 and-7, or at least most of the fibrous material is passed through these sets of rolls because of its adherence to the stalks, the great bulk ofthe juice again draining otfintothe second chamber'86, from which it isreturned through theconduit 82, as already described.

- Thegsolid material issuing from tllQdilSlhSGt of -{rolls '7 is dischargedrias waste through a chute 41.; r

as it is formedfand separating from the juice the solid matter and then returning the uice, togethervviththe solidmatter, to the system "for further crushing it is possibletofiremove substantially all ofthejui'ce iromj'eve'n' th'e "fine particles of fibrous solid'matter an'dat the Stillld'illlllfi to separatefro n the juice which is 'finally removed from the system practically all'of thesolid matter which ordinarilyfremains in the juice and becomes a source of "further expense and di ificultyin the subsequent treatment of thejjuices,

' "InFig. 2 l have shown a modification of the apparatus j ust described in which there are three sets 'of crushing rolls 505 51', and'5'2, to which the material is ffed throughaconduit in which are preliminary rolls 54 "and "55.1 Beneath" the crushing rolls 50, "5 1 52is' troughtf fi; into Which all ofthe juice extracted from the :cane 'in the "three sets-ofcrushingrolls draii'i's, and from which.

it is removed throughaconduit'}57; leading to a pump 58. 7 From :this pump'all' of the "juice is passed to iantinclined electro-magv n'etically vibrated screen "i 58. From this 7 screen the juice which of course passes through the screen, is removed by a conduit '59,-pump 60 and a second. conduit 61"to "a suitable reservoir. The oversize v.material, that is,*the solidymaterialfwhich does not pass through the'screen, is discharged through a chute 62 into afee'ding trough'63 andthen into a spiral'conveyort'e, by means of which is carried transversely across the 'mlll-and discharged-"through ia slot6 5 under the lower'endof the conveyor 66, 'whichxis betweenrrolls 5O and'51 This solid material is thencarriedby this conveyor to the next set of rolls-and in company with the :main supply of'crushed cane-ispassed throughthe "lasttwo sets of rollsagain.

' In. Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown a further modification ofthe system in Whi'ch'only" the juice draining off from-'thef'first and second set of crushing ro1ls70 and 71 is carried into a trough 72,.then separatedfrom the solid matter by'beingfpassed'through their 'sscreenland' the juice returned to the system."

:Byithus.removinggfrom the system the juice a In this type of apparatus thefjuice drained from the'j first ,tWo sets=of crushingirollsrinto "the trough 72fis carried .througha conduit '73 to ,a pump 74c and then passed to an in-: clined electromagnetically vibrated screen 75,

from which the juice is received in a trough 76 and pumped away to suitable reservoirs through a conduit 77, while the solid material is discharged from the screen onto a conveyor 7 8, which in turn discharges it onto an inclined conveyor 79, which, at its upper end, discharges the solid material through a feeding trough 80 into a spiral conveyor 81 which distributes it uniformly across the path of the mill in front of the second set of rolls 71. The solid material is then recrushed in this set of rolls and in the succeeding sets, the juice being drained off from the various later sets of rolls in any suitable Way, and the solid material being discharged from the last set of rolls 83 through a chute 84.

I have found it possible by employing a vibratory screen, that is one which is constantly and very rapidly vibrated and jarred, to keep the mesh of the screen free from clogging and to shake loose the deposit of fine fibrous material and sticky colloidal material which has caused so much difiiculty in straining raw juice by all other methods. The ad vantages of the present system are a very considerable saving in cost, a much more complete separation of the solid material, since practically all of the fibrous material can be be removed by the present method. The more accurate and complete removal of the solid material is due to the fact that very much finer mesh screens may be used without any danger of clogging because of the vibration imparted to the screen and the constant breaking loose of any deposited material before it has a chance to build up around the meshes of the screen and clog these meshes.

All of the various forms of apparatus which have been described serve the same purpose, namely, to remove from the system part or all of the juice purify this juice of its solid material and then return the solid material to the mill for the double purpose of removing from this material the adhering juice and pressing out of the material any further confined juice, with the result that the juice extracted from the cane in the mill is in a substantially pure condition and the solid fibrous material discharged from the mill is as free from juice as possible. The advantage of returning the fibrous material which is removed from the raw juice, together with some or all of the juice, to the system is that by returning this material onto one of the intermediate conveyors between the sets of crushing rolls the juice, together with the fibrous and colloidal material is discharged directly onto the cane stalks which are being passed from one set of rolls to the next, and the fibrous material is thus permitted to adhere to the cane stalks and be carried through the succeeding operations without being washed out by the juice. It will be understood that after the first crushing operation the stalks are in a pulpy conliable to remain with these stalks and not be washed out with the juice as it is after the first crushing operation.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as re gards the means and the steps herein disclosed, provided those stated by the following claim or its equivalent be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invent1on:-

In a method of treating liquid-containing solids to extract the liquid therefrom, the steps which consist in subjecting the solids to a crushing action, extracting some of the liquid, subjecting such extracted liquid and its contained solids to the action of a constant vibratory screening operation to separate the solid material contained therein, and then recrushing such removed solid material.

Sjgned by me, this 4th day of January, 192

MORLEY PUNSHON REYNOLDS. 

